6 months

Five months

On January 27th the twins were 5 months old. Having Calum reminds me that each month that goes by gets even better and more rewarding but also more work. I will never forget having a rough day with Calum in the grocery store one day when a woman told me that every stage gets better but is more work, in a different way and she couldn't have been more right. Whilst we're not waking in the middle of the night for feeds anymore, the babies are definitely requiring more interaction and stimulation although we are lucky in that some of that they are getting from each other these days-for the last couple of weeks they have been very interested in each other which is pretty cute.

The two babies couldn't be more different, not only in the way they look, but also in their habits and personalities. Evan is still my little star at night, never waking and sleeping straight through from 7.30 pm to 8 am. Sometimes I hear him earlier, babbling to himself contentedly in his crib which is pretty sweet. During the day he is a bit trickier, never one to take a dummy (pacifier) and very cautious of his older brother although lately he has been smiling at him more and warming to his attempts at trying to play. This week I am going to try giving Evan some baby cereal between bottles to see how it goes, he's definitely got the bigger appetite of the two and seems a little less content over the last week or so in between feeds.

Sienna is as cheeky as her older brother and has a smile for anyone who smiles at her. She's loud (doing a lot of cat calling lately, literally squeals like a cat which is cute at first but a little embarrassing as she goes on....) and blowing raspberries like they are going out of style. She's more adventurous than Evan, having already figured out how to roll over and actually seeking out attention from Calum (which inevitably leads to him attacking). Unfortunately whilst she's easy to put down at night, she is still waking every night with her breathing problems and our appointment to see the ear, nose and throat specialist is a very long way away on Feb. 23rd.

Calum continues to be full of energy and laughs. If he isn't literally bouncing off the walls or ripping through his toys (also quite literally), he has been happy lately to sit down and watch movies which of course is a double edged sword-great for a bit of rest for me and the babies but also a slippery slope in terms of me turning into the Mom who just sits their kids in front of the tv all day. He's obsessed with Finding Nemo and Happy Feet (thank God Cars and Cars 2 has been shelved for now!) and even loves Transformers which he's only allowed to watch with Daddy.

So that's us for now. Feeling like I could be a lot better about blogging and should be, too so am definitely going to try to make a start at more posts this month. x

We're a little late...

Sienna and I on Xmas Day and the boys and their matching outfits....

But on December 27th the babies were 4 months old. We all survived Christmas (barely!), which was at our house this year; with kids Mark's immediate family now totals 14! Was a lovely day though, Calum turned into a green eyed monster towards the end after opening so many gifts but seeing him take it all in really made Christmas special this year.

So, Sienna and Evan have now been around for a third of a year. Our night nanny has come and gone and Evan is still sleeping through every night (from their last feed at 10 until about 8). Unfortunately Sienna has a permanent stuffy nose which wakes her every night by about 1 a.m. and keeps us up intermittently until the morning despite trying nose sprays, drops and a vaporizer. Bummer because if both were able to sleep through, things would be almost perfect (if only someone could tame Calum's endless amounts of energy which are frequently coupled with boredom which makes for one stressed out Mom).

In the last week the babies seem to have become aware of each other-if you sit them face to face they smile at each other and have little chats which is pretty cute. Evan seems to be the bigger chatter, he babbles quite a bit although more to things (whilst on his playmat, in the swing, etc.)rather than people whereas Sienna likes to talk to us when we talk to her.

Calum has lost interest in trying to squish the babies at any chance but still loves to greet them every morning and has been caught trying to ram things (cars, puzzle pieces, etc.) into their hands anytime I turn my back, dying for the day when they can finally play with him and keep him company. His vocabulary has come leaps and bounds (which also unfortunately includes some words not appropriate for an almost 3 year old but which we can't seem to erase from his vocabulary no matter how hard we try) and he continues to be the boss-not only at home but even when we're out and about and he meets other kids. He's also obsessed with rules and being orderly, as well as cleanliness (as in, makes me change his shirt if it gets wet, freaks out when there is any dropped food on his placemat, doesn't let me help tidy up his toys....).

I had the kids weighed last week and here's where they stand:

Calum (2 years and 9 months):

Weight = 36lbs (91st percentile), height = 35 inches (30th percentile) = ONE STOCKY KID

Sienna (19 weeks):

Weight = 11 lbs 13 oz (5th percentile compared to other girls at 19 weeks, 25th percentile compared to girls who are the same prematurity and age as her). Teeny tiny!

Evan (19 weeks):

Weight = 14lbs 4 oz (20th percentile compared to other boys his age, 80th compared to other boys who would be the same prematurity and age as him). Calum was about 18 lbs at Evan's age, quite the difference!

3 Months

Didn't really think I would slack so much that I would only be posting month to month posts but things have been busy and I suppose fairly mundane which I'm guessing is the same with a lot of you since everyone else seems to be posting a lot less frequently, too. As I write, I have Evan crashed out in my lap, Sienna sleeping on the couch next to me and Calum and Mark have just gone out to lunch with his family.... Silence is bliss!

The babies have a viral infection which has made for awful tummies and lots of laundry and one trip to the A and E ( AKA ER) to make sure they weren't suffering from dehydration. This is after a trip there last week with Evan who had bronchiolitis and was given an inhaler, poor little guy. I guess since it's been awhile since I've had a baby, I forgot how awful it is when your kids are sick and it seems kind of relentless right now.

Otherwise the babies are growing into their own, I think the pics this month aren't so different from last although the size difference between the two (Evan is almost 2 lbs heavier) is more visible. Both babies are still super good, Evan started sleeping from 10.30-6 (when I wake him) a few weeks back and I'm hoping Santa will have Sienna doing the same in time for Christmas.

Calum continues to be a fabulous big brother, less interested in smothering the babies and even more helpful then before since he's become used to their routines and etc. He's also quite bossy, constantly reminding us of "the rules" and still super full of energy. On a whim we went into the Disney Store last week and I got him the Cars 2 movie, since then we've probably watched it about 20 times.... Nice to be able to enjoy some downtime with him though rather than go, go, go. Next week is his nursery Christmas play in which he plays a shepherd, really looking forward to it.

Mark and I had not one but two dates in a row this week-we've found a retired children's nurse to babysit so on Wednesday we went to dinner and a movie and on Thursday Mark's Mum watched the babies (Calum was at nursery) so we could go to the new Westfield Stratford (the biggest mall in Europe) which is at the new Olympic Park-amazing! Was nice to have some time together, although I couldn't get over how many people were out on Wednesday night (Mark reminded me that just because we go to bed early, doesn't mean the rest of the world does, too!) and how weird it is to go out and not be pushing a stroller....

Looking so forward to Christmas and the next couple of weeks leading up to it, have agreed to have Mark's family here which will be a total of 9 adults and 6 kids.... Also kind of talking about planning a visit Stateside, Palm Springs in April/May anyone? x

2 Months

Today the babies (as we call them, never call them "the twins" for some reason) are two months old. We had their 8 week check up on Tuesday (Mark's Mum came with me) and Evan weighs a whopping 10 lbs 5 oz (from 5lbs 3 oz at birth) and Sienna weighs 8 lbs 5 oz (from 4 lbs 11 oz). Evan is still very chilled out, only getting upset when he eats-he has 5 oz bottles where Sienna has 3 or4 and as the doctor said, he really can't handle the 5 oz which is why he gets sick after each feed and has gripe. Sienna is very much a girl, so dainty and sweet-everything about her is different to my two boys at this age and I can't wait to see her grow up.

The night nanny, Sue, started last week and it's been great to have 3 nights a week of uninterrupted sleep. You forget the noise babies make when they are sleeping (much less how hard it can be to get out of bed for that 2 am feed)! The first night she came I was reluctant to give up the babies, even though they were only upstairs I felt like I was going to be missing out on time with them which is already going by too fast. Although that has changed once I experienced 8 consecutive hours of sleep! The days after she is here I feel like I can do anything, I've even braved two public outings-to the mall and the library, with all 3 kids and am feeling much more confident about getting out and about.

Calum continues to be a great big brother, helping me feed the babies their bottles, getting me bibs and etc. when I am feeding them and showering them with lots of kisses and cuddles (well, Sienna mostly). He's loving nursery and they are getting ready for their Christmas play-so cute to hear him singing the songs, he will be a shepherd and I'm really looking forward to it. Feeling so blessed to have these 3 in my life, I honestly haven't begrudged for one minute my new role and the extra work-it's so worth it x

Big Brother

Big brother Calum, almost 2 and a half

Sienna 6 wks

Chilled out Evan

Well not only is that the name of my guilty late night pleasure, but also what Calum is proudly referring to himself as lately. When we got back from the hospital Calum announced that he was the "big brother" now, Auntie Rachel and Uncle Paul had done a great job teaching him about his new role in our household and he really hasn't disappointed in terms of doing the title justice.

Calum loves his new siblings to bits, introducing them to everyone we meet as See-enna and Eb-an, kissing and smothering them first thing in the morning, when he gets home from nursery and anytime we're out of the room it seems-always a bit frightening coming back in and finding him literally on top of one of the babies. Unfortunately the play pen is getting a lot of use these days as it's the only safe place in the house.... Maybe even more scary was me coming back into the living room yesterday after a nano second in the kitchen to meet Calum carrying Sienna to me-luckily his hands were around her waist and not her throat (seriously, toddlers have no concept of the pain they can inflict on others!). Sure, feeds can take a lot longer then necessary when Calum insists upon holding the bottle and maybe the babies are getting lots of extra air as Calum doesn't quite know how to hold the bottle the right angle, but it's been pretty sweet to have a little helper at home not only to keep me company but also to warm my heart with his new found love for his brother and sister.

The other Big Brother around here is the ultimate reality show which is still running here in the UK and sadly motivates me to get out of bed for those 2 and 6 am feeds. The twins are feeding every 3 hours in the day and 4 hours at night, Mark and I do the 10 pm feed together and during the week I'm on my own with the 2 and 6 which in the beginning were pretty difficult but now have become a normal part of our routine-thankfully I'm so tired these days that I'm usually able to fall right to sleep after I get back to bed after the feeds. Our night nanny starts on Tuesday so 3 nights a week I will be able to have uninterrupted sleep from 10 to 7, something I haven't had since January (preggo with twins = bathroom visits almost hourly in the night!).

Hard to believe these two have been part of our lives for just over 6 weeks now.... Yesterday they were weighed and Sienna has gone up to 7lbs 3 oz (25th percentile for their adjusted age, technically they are term babies now as my due date was Oct 4th) and Evan is at 8lbs 5 oz, 50th percentile. Finally fitting into newborn size clothes although the 3 and 6 month stuff we have looks ridiculously big and I really do wonder if they will ever be big enough to wear it! Not that I am wishing them to grow, having babies around again is pretty special x

One month

So we made it past the first 4 weeks and we're still in one piece! I honestly couldn't tell you where time has gone, I really hope it slows down soon or else these babies are going to be grown up before I know it.

Admitedly the first month was always going to be the easiest, Mark had time off work for paternity leave, we spent a good portion of it in the hospital (Evan didn't come home until day 12) and because they were premature, the babies were likely to sleep a lot (even now they are probably sleeping 21 hours or so a day!). I think most nights I'm managing to get about 6 hours of (broken) sleep which is a lot more then I could have ever hoped for. Oh, and the wine I'm now able to drink has really made things a lot easier, too!

Babies are having bottles of expressed milk every 4 hours and pretty soon I am going to be switching them to formula as I just can't bear to spend 3+ hours a day attached to that pump anymore. Long term I knew it would be a challenge to keep up the breastfeeing so I'm happy that in the end they will have about 2 months of my milk and am not going to beat myself up for not continuing it for the 6 months they advise here in the UK-if I only had them I probably would, but it just isn't realistic when you have a toddler and things to do!

Evan is still the more chilled out one, although if you try to sneak a dummy (pacifier) in when it's time to eat he goes a little mental and has already shown that temper that Calum has.... Sienna is harder work but as the midwife said, nothing wrong with a strong personality. They were weighed last on Tuesday and Sienna is up to 5 lbs 4 oz, Evan is 5 lbs 12 oz so slowly she's catching up and with the way she eats, I won't be surprised if that happens soon.

We've managed to go up to London with the family, to Greenwich Park for a day and I have taken the twins out several times on my own. I have yet to go out with all 3 alone, that will be the real test!

Otherwise we're managing pretty well, Calum has been an amazing big brother which has really made things easier for us-he loves to help feed the babies and has kissed Sienna (his favourite) so many times he managed to pass his cold on to her, the first of many I'm sure!

So after all of this, I've probably jinxed myself and set us up for a nightmare in month two but all in all, I think I expected things to be much harder then they are-I'm even managing to make dinner most nights! Looking forward to my Mom's visit (she comes Thursday) and again, appreciate all of your calls, cards, presents and etc.-we're lucky to have you! x

PS-Sorry about the layout, still having issues with posting and moving pics from my laptop....